Method and System for Providing Energy Related Information Associated with Gateway Connected Devices

ABSTRACT

A broadband gateway which enables communication with a plurality of devices may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of the devices. The broadband gateway may handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider. The energy consumption metric and/or related information may be communicated to a user who may be associated with one or more of the plurality of devices. The energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated to the user via a graphical user interface (GUI), a text-based interface, an audio interface and/or an electronic program guide (EPG). The broadband gateway may offer a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of a choice of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption. The broadband gateway may generate alerts based on monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to, and claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/351,696, which was filed on Jun. 4, 2010.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,377 filed on Jan. 16, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,413 filed on Jan. 16, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,480 filed on Jan. 16, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/395,383 filed on Feb. 27, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23397US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23398US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23400US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23401US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23402US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23403US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23404US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23405US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23406US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23407US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23408US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23409US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23410US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23411US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23412US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23413US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23414US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23415US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23416US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23417US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23418US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23419US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23420US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23421US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23422US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23423US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23424US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23425US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23426US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23427US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23428US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23429US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23430US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23431US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23432US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23433US02) filed on ______; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23434US02) filed on ______; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23435US02) filed on ______;

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to communication systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telecommunication technologies have evolved from analog to digital technologies, and continues to evolve from circuit switched to packet switched, from connection oriented packet switching to connectionless packet switching, and from narrow band application to broadband applications. The accompanied evolution in telecommunication technologies has significantly advanced operators' capability to offer broadband, IP-based multimedia services ranging from entertainment and lifestyle applications such as mobile TV and mobile payment to professional services such as video conferencing and real-time data exchange.

With the continuous growth of digital television or broadcast multimedia, and/or broadband access, which may be used in conjunction with online businesses, social networks, and/or other online services and applications, users may desire having access to a larger number of providers and/or a broader range of content in a manner that is flexible and/or suits the users' lifestyles. Most users connect to the Internet using web browsers running on personal computers (PCs). Furthermore, most households may have one or more display devices that may be used to view television and/or multimedia broadcasts. Television broadcasts may include terrestrial TV, Cable-Television (CATV), satellite TV and/or Internet Protocol television (IPTV) based broadcasts. To ensure against unauthorized reception and/or use of TV and/or multimedia broadcast, service providers may require use of dedicated equipments such as set-top boxes (STBs) that may be used to encrypt broadcast signals communicated from the service providers to generate suitable video and/or audio streams that may be played via televisions and/or other display/playback devices in the household. Furthermore, STBs and/or TVs may support Internet access. Thus, rather than using a computer to access the Internet, a user may find it more convenient to use the flat screen televisions and/or monitors in home networks for the same purpose.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system that is operable to provide energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway that is operable to provide energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electrical program guide (EPG) that provides energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for providing energy consumption alerts, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention can be found in a method and system for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices. In various embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway, which enables communication with a plurality of devices and handles at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider, may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of the plurality of devices. The energy consumption metric and/or related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway to a user who may be associated with one or more of the plurality of devices. In this regard, the energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway to the user via, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI), a text-based interface and/or an audio interface. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway to the user via an electronic program guide (EPG).

The at least one physical layer connection may comprise, for example, a plurality of physical layer connections and the at least one corresponding network access service provider may comprise a plurality of corresponding network access service providers. In this regard, each of the plurality of physical layer connections may correspond to a respective one of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway may be operable to communicate one or more choices for consuming an application in the one or more of the plurality of devices, based on the energy consumption metric associated with each of the choices, to the user. The broadband gateway may offer a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of a choice of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway may be operable to monitor or track the application usage and/or energy consumption of the one or more of the plurality of devices. The broadband gateway may generate one or more alerts based on the monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold, for example. The generated one or more alerts may be communicated by the broadband gateway to the user and/or other entities.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system that is operable to provide energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a communication system 100. The communication system 100 may comprise a broadband gateway 102, a plurality of distribution networks 110, a plurality of devices 104 of which devices 104 a-104 d are illustrated, a plurality of service providers 120 of which service providers 120 a-120 c are illustrated and a plurality of content providers 130 of which content providers 130 a-130 c are illustrated. The devices 104 a-104 d may be serviced by the broadband gateway 102.

A content provider such as the content provider 130 a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to generate, capture and/or package content such as, for example, multimedia content that may be distributed to one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d via one or more of the service providers 120 a-120 c and the broadband gateway 102. The content may be, for example, downloadable or streaming, and/or rented or purchased.

A service provider such as the service provider 120 a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide services using different access technologies to one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d for end-users via the broadband gateway 102. The services may include, but are not limited to, multimedia, television, Internet, phone, Ethernet, multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA), passive optical network (PON), and/or cellular services, for example. Some of the service providers 120 a-120 c may comprise network access service providers which provide physical layer connections to the broadband gateway 102. Such physical layer connections may then be utilized by the broadband gateway 102 to access content provided by the content providers 130, to access services provided by other ones of the service providers 120 a-120 c, and/or to access an intranet or the Internet at-large. In this regard, “network access service provider” as utilized herein, is distinguished from the more generic term “service provider” which may encompass services other than providing physical layer access. Cable television (CATV) providers, plain old telephone service (POTS) providers, digital subscriber line (DSL) providers, cellular providers, WiMAX providers and/or satellite providers are examples of the network access service providers. In some instances, a service provider such as the service provider 120 c may be a provider that provides both content and services.

The broadband gateway 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide an interface and connectivity between one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d and one or more of the distribution networks 110. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may support configuring and/or using a plurality of broadband connections 108 to the distribution networks 110. The broadband connections 108 may comprise wired and/or wireless connections between the broadband gateway 102 and the distribution networks 110. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to perform and/or provide various services that may pertain to enabling and/or facilitating reception of content such as multimedia content from one or more of the content providers 130 a-130 c. The content may be delivered through one or more of the service providers 120 a-120 c. The broadband gateway 102 may communicate with various devices 104 a-104 d using wired, optical and/or wireless communication links 106.

A single broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to the distribution networks 110, where different ones or portions of the distribution networks 110 may be owned, operated, leased or associated with different ones of the network access service providers. A physical layer may refer to an open systems interconnection (OSI) layer 1. In this regard, for example, a first network access service provider such as the service provider 120 a may provide network access to the broadband gateway 102 via a DSL connection over twisted-pair cabling, and a second network access service provider such as the service provider 120 b may provide network access to the broadband gateway 102 via a cable television connection over coaxial cabling. In some instances, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to concurrently communicate over the plurality of physical layer connections provided by the plurality of network access service providers such as the service providers 120 a, 120 b.

The broadband gateway 102 may be located at a residential location such as a home. The broadband gateway 102 may also be located in non-residential location comprising, for example, a commercial building, an office, an office complex, an apartment building and/or a factory. While the broadband gateway 102 may be illustrated as a single and separate device in FIG. 1, the invention may not be so limited. In one embodiment of the invention, some functionalities of the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented in a distributed manner over two or more devices locally and/or remotely. For example, some of the functionalities of the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented within one of the televisions available in the home. Furthermore, the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented as a virtual platform, for example.

In various embodiments of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to provide energy efficient management for the devices 104 a-104 d. The broadband gateway 102 may be utilized to provide energy efficient service delivery to the devices 104 a-104 d. The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to communicate energy related metrics and/or information to a user associated with one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d, including energy consumption trends and/or costs, for example. Any available energy related credits and/or rewards that may be redeemed by the user may also be communicated, by the broadband gateway 102, to the user.

A device such as the device 104 a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to interact with the broadband gateway 102. The devices 104 a-104 d serviced by, and/or connected with the broadband gateway 102 may comprise content consuming devices and/or non-content consuming household devices. For example, the devices 104 may comprise a television, a set-top box (STB), a laptop computer, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a security alarm, a desk top computer and/or server, a mobile phone, a speaker, an AM/FM radio, a phone, and/or an appliance such as a refrigerator. The devices 104 a-104 d may interact with the broadband gateway 102 via the links 106 utilizing various wired and/or wireless communication technologies such as, for example, Bluetooth, LTE, WiFi and/or Ethernet.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, although the devices 104 a-104 d communicate with only the broadband gateway 102 as shown, the invention may not be so limited. Accordingly, the devices 104 a-104 d may communicate with multiple broadband gateways in a local or home network without departing from the spirit and scope of various embodiments of the invention.

The distribution networks 110 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, communication devices, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to enable wireless and/or wired communication among a plurality of local and/or remote entities, based on one or more networking and/or communication infrastructures. In this regard, one or more of the distribution networks 110 may be utilized to enable distribution of content such as multimedia content generated by one or more of the content providers 130 a-130 c, via one or more of the service providers 120 a-120 c, to one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d. The network connectivity available via the distribution networks 110 may be based on one or more communication standards and/or protocols. The distribution networks 110 may comprise, for example, Internet, cable television (CATV) network, satellite television (TV) network, wired or wireless local area network (LAN), wired or wireless wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN) and/or cellular network.

In operation, the broadband gateway 102, which may be communicatively coupled to a plurality of devices 104 a-104 d in a home or local network, may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. For example, the energy consumption metric may comprise a measurement associated with carbon footprint of a device such as the device 104 a for a particular application usage. The carbon footprint is an energy consumption imprint that may be associated with activities or application usages of a device such as the device 104 a in a given time frame. For example, the carbon footprint may comprise the measurement of an amount of emissions of carbon dioxide which were induced by activities or application usages of the device 104 a.

An energy consumption metric may be an absolute value, a relative value or a figure, which may provide indication of the energy consumption. For example, a metric may be presented as a value in watts per hour. A metric may be presented as a ratio or percentage indicating energy efficiency in relation to a particular energy consumption level, for example. An energy consumption metric may be translated into a monetary energy cost, for example. The energy consumption metric may be derived, for example, based on energy consumption associated with a service type of a service or application, and/or a device type of a device such as the device 104 a. The application usages may comprise, for example, consuming various voice, data and/or multimedia content with different formats. The application usages may also comprise, for example, usages of an electrical appliance such as a refrigerator in different configurations and/or modes. The applications may be provided by one or more content providers 130 and/or one or more service providers 120 via the broadband gateway 102 and/or via one or more other broadband gateways which are also coupled to the device 104 a, for example. The applications may also be provided by one or more other devices locally in the home network and/or one or more other communication devices remotely via peer-to-peer communications, for example. The energy consumption metric and/or related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to a user associated with one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. The energy related information may comprise, for example, cost of energy, energy saving options, monthly energy consumption record and/or energy saving credits or rewards.

The energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to the user via, for example, a GUI, a text-based interface and/or an audio interface. The GUI allows the user to interact with the broadband gateway 102 with images or graphics displayed in one of the devices 104 a-104 d. The text-based interface may comprise text messages displayed on one of the devices 104 a-104 d. The audio interface may comprise voice communication between the user and the broadband gateway 102 via a speaker and/or a microphone device. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may communicate the energy consumption metric and/or the related information to the user utilizing an EPG. The EPG may provide the user of a display device such as the device 104 a with a continuously updated presentation of data that may display scheduling information for a current and/or upcoming programming events provided by a content provider such as the content provider 130 a. The EPG may allow the user to navigate scheduling information menus interactively, and/or to select and discover programming by, for example, time, title, genre, channel, and/or other criteria. In this regard, the EPG may provide the user with energy consumption information and/or energy consumption metrics associated with the current and/or the upcoming programming events, for example. The current and/or the upcoming programming events shown on the EPG may be provided by one or more content providers 130 and/or one or more service providers 120 via the broadband gateway 102 and/or via one or more other broadband gateways which are also coupled to the device 104 a, for example. The current and/or the upcoming programming events shown on the EPG may also be provided by one or more other devices locally in the home network and/or one or more other communication devices remotely via peer-to-peer communications, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to communicate one or more choices for consuming an application in one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d, based on the energy consumption metric associated with each of the choices, to the user. The broadband gateway 102 may offer, for example, the user with a credit and/or a reward in instances when the user may select a choice of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption. A credit may be applied directly to a service, which may be offered by the same provider and/or by a partner entity, free of charge or at a discount price, for example. In this regard, for example, the broadband gateway 102 may communicate with the user via an EPG. The EPG may display the same movie with different formats based on energy consumption. The EPG may display options or choices of watching the movie offline and/or watching the movie some other period instead of today. Each option may have a cost of energy, energy saving information and/or energy consumption metric associated with the option. The EPG may also display energy saving credit and/or reward information associated with a selection of watching the movie with reduced energy consumption. For example, in instances when the user is willing to save on the energy consumption by watching the same movie with lower quality, by downloading the movie or by watching the movie at different time, the user may be able to receive a credit to watch a movie. For example, in instances when the user is willing to configure a refrigerator to operate in a particular mode with lower energy consumption, the user may be able to receive a reward from an electrical provider to watch a free movie that may be provided by a partner content provider such as the content provider 130 a.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to monitor or track the application usage and/or energy consumption of one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. The broadband gateway 102 may generate one or more alerts based on the monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold, for example. The generated one or more alerts may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to the user and/or other entities such as, for example, an energy supplier or some governmental monitoring agency. In this regard, for example, the broadband gateway 102 may alert the user or other entity that manages or monitors energy consumption, based on how close the total energy consumption in the associated one or more of the plurality devices 104 a-104 d is to the monthly allowed threshold. The broadband gateway 102 may also communicate possible surcharge information to the user in instances when the total energy consumption may exceed the monthly threshold, for example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway that is operable to provide energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a broadband gateway 200. The broadband gateway 200 may comprise a provider interface module 202, a processor 204, a memory 206 and a client device interface module 208.

The provider interface module 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to receive data from one or more network access service providers 220 a-220 b. The provider interface module 202 may also be operable to send data to one or more network access service providers 220 a-220 b. The provider interface module 202 may be operable to support multiple communication protocols, standards, and/or data transport technologies. The provider interface module 202 may be communicatively coupled to one or more network access service providers 220 a-220 b via one or more physical layer connections 230 a-230 b. In this regard, each of the physical layer connections 230 a-230 b may connect the broadband gateway 200 to one of different network access service providers 220 a-220 b. Each of the physical layer connections 230 a-230 b may comprise a wired, optical and/or wireless connection. For example, the physical layer connection 230 a may comprise a DSL over twisted-pair connection while the physical layer connection 230 b may comprise a CATV over coaxial cable connection.

The processor 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to process data received from the network access service providers 220 a-220 b and/or data received from one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d. In this regard, the processor 204 may comprise one or more portions that are suitable to handle certain types of data such as video data and/or audio data, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may be operable to provide energy related information to a user associated with one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d via, for example, a GUI, a text display and/or a voice communication. The processor 204 may also be operable to provide energy related information via an EPG that may enable interactions with the user, for example.

The memory 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to store data utilized in the operations of the broadband gateway 200. For example, the memory 206 may be utilized to store configuration data, parameters, device information, tracking and/or monitoring information, security information, and intermediate processing data, for example. The memory 206 may comprise storage media integrated in the broadband gateway 200 and/or a removable storage device.

The client device interface module 208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to send data to one or more of the devices such as the devices 104 a-104 d in a local or home network. The client device interface module 208 may also be operable to receive data from one or more of the devices 104 a-104 d in the local or home network. The client device interface module 208 may be operable to support multiple communication protocols, standards, and/or data transport technologies.

In operation, a broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 200 may provide connections and/or interfaces for various devices such as the devices 140 a-140 d to distribution networks such as the distribution networks 110. A processor 204 in the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. The energy consumption metric may comprise, for example, a measurement associated with carbon footprint of a device such as the device 104 a for a particular application usage. The application usages may comprise, for example, consuming various media content with different formats. The application usages may also comprise, for example, usages of an appliance such as a refrigerator in different configurations and/or mode. The processor 204 may communicate, the energy consumption metric and/or related information such as, for example, cost of energy, energy saving options, monthly energy consumption record and/or energy saving credits or rewards, to a user associated with one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d.

The energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the processor 204 to the user via, for example, a GUI image, a text display and or audio such as voice communication. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may communicate the energy consumption metric and/or the related information to the user utilizing an EPG. In this regard, for example, the EPG may provide the user with energy consumption information and/or energy consumption metrics associated with the current and/or the upcoming programming events.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may be operable to communicate, to the user, one or more choices of consuming an application in one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d, based on the energy consumption metric associated with each of the choices. The processor 204 may be operable to offer, for example, the user with energy saving credits and/or rewards. For example, in instances when the user may select a choice of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption, the user may be able to receive a credit to watch a movie or other rewards. For example, in instances when the user is willing to configure a refrigerator to operate in a certain mode with lower energy consumption, the user may be able to receive a reward which may be provided by a content provider such as the content provider 130.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may be operable to monitor or track the application usage and/or energy consumption of the one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d for the user and/or other entities. One or more alerts may be generated by the processor 204 based on the monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold, for example. The generated one or more alerts may be communicated by the processor 204 to the user and/or the other entities. In this regard, for example, the processor 204 may monitor or track how close the total energy consumption of the one or more of the plurality devices 104 a-104 d is in relation to the monthly allowed threshold, and alert the user and/or the other entities accordingly.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electronic program guide (EPG) that provides energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an EPG 300. The EPG 300 may comprise a plurality of programs of which program A 301, program B 302 and program C 303 and program D 304 are illustrated, a program description of which program B description 310 is illustrated, a program preview of which program B preview 312 is illustrated and energy alert information 314. In this exemplary EPG 300, the program B 302 is selected or picked for preview and/or for consideration. As part of the program description, the program B description 310 may comprise an energy consumption metric 310 a, energy saving information 310 b and energy credit information 310 c.

In an exemplary scenario, the program A 301 and the program B 302 may be the same movie content with different formats. For example, the program A 301 may be in high-definition (HD) picture quality, which may be received by a device such as the device 104 a from the content provider 130 a via a cable-based broadcast and via the broadband gateway 102. The program B 302 may be in standard-definition (SD) picture quality which may be received by the device 104 a from the content provider 130 b via an Internet communication and via the broadband gateway 102. In this instance, the energy consumption metric 310 a may comprise a measurement associated with carbon footprint of the device 104 a for consuming the program B 302. The energy saving information 310 b may indicate the energy savings for consuming the program B 302 in reference to consuming the program A 301, for example. The energy credit information 310 c may serve as compensation and may comprise credit and/or reward information based on the energy saving of consuming the program B 302, for example.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to monitor or track energy consumption pertaining to consuming different programs and/or applications by one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. In this regard, the energy alert information 314 may indicate one or more alerts in instances when the total energy consumption associated with the one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d is smaller than a monthly threshold yet the difference between the total energy consumption and the monthly threshold is smaller than a particular value, for example.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the exemplary steps start at step 401. In step 402, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of a plurality of gateway connected devices 104 a-104 d. An application usage may comprise consuming voice, data and/or multimedia content. An application usage may also comprise a usage of an electrical appliance such as a refrigerator in a specific energy consuming mode. The applications may be provided by one or more content providers 130 and/or one or more service providers 120 via the broadband gateway 102, for example. The applications may also be provided by one or more other devices locally in the home network and/or one or more other communication devices remotely via peer-to-peer communications, for example. In step 403, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to communicate the energy consumption metric and/or related information to a user who may be associated with one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. For example, the energy consumption metric and/or related information may be communicated via a GUI, a text-based interface, an audio interface and/or an EPG. In step 404, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to communicate one or more choices of consuming an application in one or more of the plurality of gateway connected devices 104 a-104 d, based on the energy consumption metric associated with each of the choices, to the user. In step 405, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to offer a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of one of the choices of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption. For example, a credit may be applied directly to a service or product, which may be offered by the same provider and/or by a partner entity, free of charge or at a discount price. The exemplary steps may proceed to the end step 406.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for providing energy consumption alerts, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the exemplary steps start at step 501. In step 502, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to monitor application usage and/or energy consumption of one or more of a plurality of gateway connected devices 104 a-104 d. In step 503, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to generate one or more alerts based on how close the total monitored energy consumption is to a monthly threshold. For example, an alert may be generate in instances when the total energy consumption associated with the one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d is smaller than the monthly threshold and the difference between the total energy consumption and the monthly threshold is smaller than a particular value. In step 504, the generated one or more alerts may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to, for example, a user associated with the one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d and/or other entities such as a monitoring or management entity. The exemplary steps may proceed to step 502.

In various embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway 102, 200 may enable communication with a plurality of devices such as the devices 104 a-104 d and may handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider. In this regard, for example, the at least one physical layer connection may comprise a plurality of physical layer connections 230 a-230 b and the at least one corresponding network access service provider may comprise a plurality of corresponding network access service providers 220 a-220 b. Each of the plurality of physical layer connections 230 a-230 b may correspond to a respective one of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers 220 a-220 b.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. The energy consumption metric and/or related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to a user who may be associated with one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. In this regard, the energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to the user via, for example, a GUI, a text-based interface and/or an audio interface. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the energy consumption metric and/or the related information may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to the user via an electronic program guide (EPG).

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to communicate one or more choices for consuming an application in the one or more of the plurality of devices 102, based on the energy consumption metric associated with each of the choices, to the user. The broadband gateway 102 may offer a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of a choice of consuming the application with reduced energy consumption. The broadband gateway 102 may also be operable to monitor or track the application usage and/or energy consumption of the one or more of the plurality of devices 104 a-104 d. The broadband gateway 102 may generate one or more alerts based on the monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold, for example. The generated one or more alerts may be communicated by the broadband gateway 102 to the user and/or other entities.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for providing energy related information associated with gateway connected devices.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein said broadband gateway is operable to handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider: determining an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of said plurality of devices; and communicating said energy consumption metric and/or related information to a user associated with one or more of said plurality of devices.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one physical layer connection comprises a plurality of physical layer connections and said at least one corresponding network access service provider comprises a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, and each of said plurality of physical layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of corresponding network access service providers.
 3. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via a graphical user interface (GUI).
 4. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via an electronic program guide (EPG).
 5. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via a text-based interface and/or an audio interface.
 6. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating one or more choices for consuming an application in said one or more of said plurality of devices, based on said energy consumption metric associated with each of said one or more choices, to said user.
 7. The method according to claim 6, comprising offering a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of one of said one or more choices of consuming said application with reduced energy consumption.
 8. The method according to claim 1, comprising monitoring said application usage and/or energy consumption of said one or more of said plurality of devices.
 9. The method according to claim 8, comprising generating one or more alerts based on said monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold.
 10. The method according to claim 9, comprising communicating said one or more alerts for presentation to said user and/or other entities.
 11. A system for communication, the system comprising: one or more processors and/or circuits for use in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein said broadband gateway is operable to handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider, and said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to: determine an energy consumption metric associated with each application usage in each of said plurality of devices; and communicate said energy consumption metric and/or related information to a user associated with one or more of said plurality of devices.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one physical layer connection comprises a plurality of physical layer connections and said at least one corresponding network access service provider comprises a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, and each of said plurality of physical layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of corresponding network access service providers.
 13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via a graphical user interface (GUI).
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via an electronic program guide (EPG).
 15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said energy consumption metric and/or said related information to said user via a text-based interface and/or an audio interface.
 16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate one or more choices for consuming an application in said one or more of said plurality of devices, based on said energy consumption metric associated with each of said one or more choices, to said user.
 17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to offer a credit and/or a reward based on a selection of one of said one or more choices of consuming said application with reduced energy consumption.
 18. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to monitor said application usage and/or energy consumption of said one or more of said plurality of devices.
 19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to generate one or more alerts based on said monitored energy consumption and a monthly threshold.
 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said one or more alerts for presentation to said user and/or other entities. 